The effects of climate change on the reproductive development of Theobroma cacao L.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is widely farmed throughout the humid tropics where it is an important crop to smallholder farmers. Climate change projections suggest increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns in these regions. The effects of two key climate change variables; elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and water deficit were investigated on the reproductive development of six genotypes of cacao (CL19/10, ICS 1, IMC 47, Pound 7/B, SCA 6, and SPEC 54/1). Genotypes showed variability in their response to treatments; however general observations were also made. At elevated CO2 (700ppm) the mean length of pollen tubes decreased and the degree of fluctuation in flowering intensity increased over time without any overall reduction in flower production. Final pod size and maximum rate of growth increased in response to elevated CO2 in the second year of study. Additionally in the second year there was an increase in husk weight and thickness, and individual bean weight. There was no increase in bean number or shell percentage. Total cocoa butter content and percentage unsaturated fat was lower under elevated CO2 along with reductions in stearic, oleic and linoleic fatty acid content; however these responses varied between genotypes and sampling period. Final woody biomass increased under elevated CO2 whereas leaf biomass was unaffected. Water deficit stress had no observed effect on pollen performance, flowering behaviour, or cocoa butter content and composition. Final pod size and rate of growth was reduced under water stress in the first year of study only. The reduced pod size was reflected in reduced husk and bean weights. Final wood and leaf biomass were both reduced in response to the water stress treatment. Across all parameters measured, no evidence of interaction between elevated CO2 and water deficit stress was observed. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential for yield improvement in cacao through breeding in preparation for future climate scenarios

Fluid Phase Separation (FPS) experiment for flight on a space shuttle Get Away Special (GAS) canister

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity environments is of importance to environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) and materials processing in space. A successful fluid phase separation experiment will demonstrate a proof of concept for the separation technique and add to the knowledge base of material behavior. The phase separation experiment will contain a premixed fluid which will be exposed to a microgravity environment. After the phase separation of the compound has occurred, small samples of each of the species will be taken for analysis on the Earth. By correlating the time of separation and the temperature history of the fluid, it will be possible to characterize the process. The experiment has been integrated into space available on a manifested Get Away Special (GAS) experiment, CONCAP 2, part of the Consortium for Materials Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program, scheduled for STS-42. The design and the production of a fluid phase separation experiment for rapid implementation at low cost is presented

Initial in vitro screening approach to investigate the potential health and environmental hazards of Envirox™ – a nanoparticulate cerium oxide diesel fuel additive

Nanotechnology is the new industrial revolution of the 21st Century as the various processes lead to radical improvements in medicine, manufacturing, energy production, land remediation, information technology and many other everyday products and applications. With this revolution however, there are undoubted concerns for health, safety and the environment which arise from the unique nature of materials and processes at the nanometre scale

A systematic review of historical and contemporary evidence of trachoma endemicity in the Pacific Islands.

INTRODUCTION: Trachoma is endemic in several Pacific Island countries. The aims of this study were to (a) identify future trachoma mapping needs in the Pacific and (b) to examine whether any temporal trends in trachoma prevalence could be ascertained from the historical literature on trachoma in the Pacific Islands. METHODS: Human studies of trachoma and eye care in the Pacific Islands were identified from a systematic search of PubMed, EMbase, Scopus and Web of Science databases. A published quality assessment system for disease prevalence studies was modified to assess studies for quality and transparency. RESULTS: Few general ophthalmic studies in the Pacific mention trachoma. In targeted studies of trachoma, cases have consistently been identified throughout the Pacific since the early twentieth century. The largest number of studies come from Papua New Guinea and Fiji, whereas some countries have no published data on trachoma. The majority of studies identified were published before the Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma 2020 was convened, so lack the standardisation of population-based mapping which has been implemented in the past decade. CONCLUSIONS: Population-based trachoma prevalence estimates have been recently generated in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Fiji. There is insufficient evidence to assess whether there has been temporal change in trachoma prevalence in these countries over the past century. Cases of trachoma have been identified in some countries (for example, Nauru and Samoa) which have no recent population-based mapping data, but may be at risk of trachoma endemcitiy. Deployment of appropriate mapping strategies is warranted to identify whether interventions are required

Industrial-Age Doubling of Snow Accumulation in the Alaska Range Linked to Tropical Ocean Warming

Future precipitation changes in a warming climate depend regionally upon the response of natural climate modes to anthropogenic forcing. North Pacific hydroclimate is dominated by the Aleutian Low, a semi-permanent wintertime feature characterized by frequent low-pressure conditions that is influenced by tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures through the Pacific-North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern. Instrumental records show a recent increase in coastal Alaskan precipitation and Aleutian Low intensification, but are of insufficient length to accurately assess low frequency trends and forcing mechanisms. Here we present a 1200-year seasonally- to annually-resolved ice core record of snow accumulation from Mt. Hunter in the Alaska Range developed using annual layer counting and four ice-flow thinning models. Under a wide range of glacier flow conditions and layer counting uncertainty, our record shows a doubling of precipitation since ~1840 CE, with recent values exceeding the variability observed over the past millennium. The precipitation increase is nearly synchronous with the warming of western tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures. While regional 20th Century warming may account for a portion of the observed precipitation increase on Mt. Hunter, the magnitude and seasonality of the precipitation change indicate a long-term strengthening of the Aleutian Low

Draft genomes of 12 Bifidobacterium isolates from human IBD fecal samples

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